Amy Mall's Blog: U.S. Law and Policy tag:switchboard.nrdc.org,2010:/blogs/amall//100 2008-11-26T17:25:35Z Movable Type Enterprise 1.52 Backyard drilling -- not just in the Rockies tag:switchboard.nrdc.org,2008:/blogs/amall//100.2087 2008-11-06T20:42:40Z 2008-11-26T17:25:35Z Amy Mall I used to live in Los Angeles near the famous La Brea tar pits. It turns out I lived above an old oilfield that had been drilled in the early 1900s.  I now live in Colorado, but recently I've heard from Los Angeles residents who live not too far from where I did.  They're concerned about new drilling in their community.  One person told me three wells would be less than 50 feet from his house.

Health concerns have already surfaced elsewhere in the Los Angeles area.  In 2006, extremely strong odors from a drilling operation prompted Los Angeles County to institute a temporary moratorium on drilling new wells in the Baldwin Hills area so that officials could assess current regulations.  In Beverly Hills, families are suing over health impacts from wells adjacent to the high school; journalist Joy Horowitz wrote a book about the issue.  There are also concerns in the Wilmington area.

Community drilling, sometimes called "urban drilling," is causing alarm elsewhere in our country.  Earlier this year, a drill rig was set up in the courtyard of an apartment complex in Mentor, Ohio and the law did not require that apartment residents be notified.  In Bainbridge Township, Ohio, a 2007 gas leak caused one house to explode, is threatening another, and is reported to have contaminated the well water for at least 27 other families.

In Booneville, Arkansas, residents report that drilling has led to contamination of their well water with large amounts of benzene and diesel.  Previous posts of mine discuss contamination in Pennsylvania and the Rocky Mountain region.

'Setbacks' are restrictions on how close a well or associated equipment can be to a home, school, stream, water well, or other protected place.  Some cities in Texas have a setback for oil and gas wells of 1,000 feet for residences, public parks, schools, hospitals, religious institutions, water wells, or public buildings.  In many areas of Colorado, however, the setback from homes is only 150 feet -- although that may change with new regulations.  Better regulation is needed to ensure protection of human health and the environment, starting at the federal level with the closing of loopholes in environmental laws discussed in the NRDC report, "Drilling Down."    

]]> Fine print, oil shale, and Cap'n Crunch tag:switchboard.nrdc.org,2008:/blogs/amall//100.1913 2008-10-08T19:28:47Z 2008-10-12T15:30:02Z Read the fine print and you'll find that the financial rescue package passed by Congress last week also provided a big favor for dirty fuels that have a much greater climate impact than conventional fuel. Yep - more than $4... Amy Mall Read the fine print and you'll find that the financial rescue package passed by Congress last week also provided a big favor for dirty fuels that have a much greater climate impact than conventional fuel. Yep - more than $4 billion of taxpayer dollars was given away to oil companies refining tar sands, oil shale, or liquid coal.  This special gift was included even though companies are already building tar sands refineries without any government hand-out.

Dirty fuels have been a hot topic in D.C. this year. Some politicians claimed that oil shale regulations were needed to help lower gas prices. This was pure snake oil, given that research on oil shale technologies won't be completed for years, and any real commercial-scale production is likely decades away. But companies are interested in locking in favorable rules to lease large tracts of public land while there is an industry-friendly administration, and the Bush administration is cooperating by rushing to finalize regulations before it leaves office. How a government agency can write regulations for an industry that does not exist and for technologies and impacts that are unknown is beyond me. Nevertheless, the administration's proposed regulations offer favorable royalty rates to industry and lack environmental protections. Some members of Colorado's congressional delegation worked to put these regulations on hold until research is completed and industrial impacts are known, but were unsuccessful in the melee of gas price politics.

Last week I visited the lands in western Colorado that are the prime target for oil shale development. Much of the land remains untouched and a haven for wildlife.

oil shale territory

NRDC recently co-sponsored a series of presentations in Colorado and Utah on oil shale and tar sands. Photographer Garth Lenz presented his photos of the tragic devastation occurring in Canada's boreal forest. His photos are a lot better than mine! You can see them yourself at: www.garthlenz.com. His photos hold important lessons for any future oil shale development in the lower 48. In addition, energy analyst Randy Udall presented his analysis of oil shale, including his conclusion that oil shale has less energy potential than Cap'n Crunch® cereal.

You can read more about these dirty fuels at www.stopdirtyfuels.org and about NRDC's proposals for cleaner solutions through fuel efficiency, conservation, and renewable alternatives at: http://beyondoil.nrdc.org/.

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